Pork Pie Hat – Peter Straub (2010)
A haunting novella from horror maestro Peter Straub, Pork Pie Hat blends jazz lore, racial trauma, and supernatural mystery. Framed as a journalist’s interview with an aging African American jazz musician (the titular Hat), the story unravels a childhood memory of witnessing a lynching in the 1930s South—an event intertwined with a surreal, possibly otherworldly encounter. Straub’s lyrical prose and unreliable narration create a chilling meditation on memory, violence, and how stories transform over time.
Originally published in Magic Terror (2000), the 2010 standalone edition features new commentary.
If You Appreciated This, Try:
- “The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet” (Stephen King) – Another meta-tale of art and madness.
- Devil in a Blue Dress (Walter Mosley) – Jazz-age noir with social depth.
- The King in Yellow (Robert W. Chambers) – Weird fiction about haunting stories.
